G1 Pedigree Watch – Helen Street Making Her Presence Felt

Tara Madgwick - Monday February 24

We saw two brand new Group I winners in Australia on Saturday and both super interesting on the pedigree front with one of them a $1.4million yearling and the other a Kiwi bred sprinter, who continued the G1 winning run for the Street Cry sireline and we also take a look at why you need to know more about Helen Street.

A couple of weeks ago we ran a G1 Pedigree Watch story highlighting three G1 winners on the same day that were all grand-sons of former Darley shuttler Street Cry (IRE) in Another Wil, Here to Shock and El Vencedor, who made it back to back G1 wins when taking out the Otaki Maori Stakes at Ellerslie last Saturday.

Another Kiwi bred G1 winner in Australia is Jimmysstar (NZ) - image Grant Courtney

The same sireline produced Jimmysstar (NZ) to win the Group I MRC Oakleigh Plate (1100m), read about him here.

Jimmysstar is the eighth G1 winner among 32 stakes-winners for Little Avondale Stud’s Per Incanto (USA), who has an interesting profile given he was a Group winning sprinter miler in Italy that found his way to stud in New Zealand and has done a remarkable job off a low base. He runs at 5% SW to runner and has made his name for his ability to upgrade some pretty average Kiwi mares at the start to produce a steady stream of fast sprinter milers.

Jimmysstar has a G3 winning full sister called Charms Star (who was second in both the G1 NZ Oaks and Queensland Oaks) and is out stakes-winning Zed mare Anniesstar, a full sister to G2 winning stayer Jacksstar, who won up to 3200m, so there is a real mix of speed and staying blood in his pedigree.

He is the first G1 winner for Zed as a broodmare sire, with the blueblood Zabeel stallion best known as the sire of ‘Cups Queen’ and Australian Horse of the Year Verry Elleegant.

Devil Night relaxes after his G1 win - image Grant Courtney

The Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) is the first juvenile G1 of the season and was won by the maiden colt Devil Night at just his second start, read about him here.

Devil Night is the fifth G1 winner among 14 SW’s for outstanding sire Extreme Choice, who runs at 71.6% winner to runner and 12.1% SW to runner with his stats achieved from limited numbers as his first five crops to race consist of 175 foals in total.

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Of his current 2YO crop of 41 foals, just six have run for two winners – Devil Night and G3 Gimcrack stakes winner Bel Merci – with Tempestuous placing in the G3 Breeders Plate and the filly Apocalyptic impressing with a second to Gallo Nero at Randwick at her only start.

Devil Night comes from a strong female family as a half-brother to G3 winner Our Playboy, from unraced Mischief Night, a half-sister by Shamardal to Yulong’s young G1 winning stallion Pierata, that covered the cream of their best mares last spring. He traces in tail female line to fifth dam Century Miss, who won the 1979 Golden Slipper.

He is the 17th G1 winner produced from a daughter of Shamardal, who is increasingly making his presence felt in this area in Australia as dam sire of champion sprinter Imperatriz and rising star WFA performer Ceolwulf.

Interestingly Shamardal and Street Cry are closely related being from the same female family - Street Cry is from Irish Oaks winner Helen Street and Shamardal is from one of her daughters in Helsinki.

Given the rise of sire sons and grand-sons of Street Cry and Shamardal you can imagine there will be increasing attempts to utilise them in pedigrees to replicate Helen Street and up to this point there have been seven SW’s to carry a double cross of Helen Street and they are led by G1 winner Victor Ludorum (GB), who has shuttled to Darley in Australia for the past three seasons.

Another interesting colt to carry both Shamardal and Street Cry is leading Golden Slipper contender North England.

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